


Someone else's problem

by lakeflower



Category: Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Genre: Dissociation, Gen, Minor Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:08:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23161480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lakeflower/pseuds/lakeflower
Summary: Cyrus is tense and tired, and Saturn is worried. Some days are just bad.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	Someone else's problem

**Author's Note:**

> Confusing thing I felt compelled to write and finish (but I guess it is meant to be confusing). Based on personal experiences and a scene in Perfect Blue.  
> Rated T for some mild violence.

This is supposed to be a working mechanism, an important part of a plan, a key object. Instead it’s just a draft, a compilation of disjointed lines and pieces drawn on paper. Maybe it’s less than that, this doesn’t even qualify as a blueprint.

He’s been sitting on his desk for hours. His neck feels like it is about to snap, his eyes trying to decipher these abstract scribbles. He holds the pencil, almost as if waiting for it to start moving on its own. It is impressive, really, this shouldn’t be hard. So why is he wasting so much time on something that was supposed to be done hours ago?

He keeps staring at the piece of paper in front of him. It is the same it was half an hour ago, but he doesn’t care. In fact he’s convinced he can’t even feel frustration right now. He doesn’t have time for that. He stretches himself, and he notices something in the window. The light of the desk’s lamp creates a contrast in the dark sky, forming a reflection.

He stares at the reflection, and sees a man. He should be focusing on the blueprint, but the barely visible man on the window is bothering him. The man looks tired, his eyes appearing larger than they should be, surrounded by dark bags. The man looks remarkably similar to him, but that can’t be him. The man unnerves him, staring deeply at him with his icy eyes. The man seems to be looking for something, but why here? There is nothing here. He stops looking at the man. He doesn’t trust the man, and he has far more important things he needs to do.

The door panel slides open as Saturn enters the office.

“Master Cyrus, sir, it’s three in the morning. I’m not trying to bother you, but please, go to sleep. The bomb can wait for tomorrow.”

Cyrus turns his head to look as his commander. Saturn looks concerned for some reason.

“If I am supposed to be sleeping, then why are you awake too?” he asks, annoyed at the sudden intrusion in his room.

“I woke up some minutes ago, because of a strange dream. I went to get something to drink, and noticed that the lights were on, so I came to see if you were still working” Saturn explains quickly.

Cyrus massages his forehead, trying to rub away the tiredness. How shameful, letting his most trusted ally see him like this. What a great boss he is, unable to finish something so simple or even look presentable. Amazing how Saturn even bothered to check on him in the first place. Or not, maybe he is trying to verify how incompetent his boss is.

“Sir, I know that this is an important project, but you need to rest. You won’t be able to work on anything if you’re too tired to even stand up” Saturn says, his voice firm but quiet. “I also apologize for not knocking on the door” he adds, waiting for his boss’ response.

Cyrus sighs. “You are right. And I forgive you, this isn’t a big issue. I will go to sleep now” he declares.

Saturn is relieved to see Cyrus finally going to bed, and that he isn’t too angry at him. He gets the idea to ask if there is something wrong, but doesn’t ask. Cyrus is just tired, of course he isn’t going to be at his best. “Good night, master Cyrus” he says as he exits the room.

“Good night, Saturn” Cyrus says quietly. He closes the door of his office, and goes towards the teleportation panel. He enters his bedroom, and once he reaches the bed he collapses onto the mattress. He falls asleep in a matter of seconds.

***

They sit together at the table, Saturn with a cup of roselia leaf tea and Cyrus with a cup of water. The morning light filters through the window into the small kitchen, irradiating some warmth. Saturn sips his tea and checks his clipboard, ready to start explaining his plans.

“This is a nice spot. If we drop the bomb here, it would cover a lot of space when detonated” Saturn points to the clipboard, showing a map of Lake Valor. “The lake would be drained, giving us the opportunity to ambush. The grunts can circle the zone while I go inside the cavern and capture Azelf. Of course, it would need to be a bigger bomb than the prototype, but I don’t think the design itself needs much tweaking. It worked well at the great marsh.”

Cyrus examines the map, as he processes Saturn’s comments. “So we just need to make the bomb bigger since the engine itself functions properly, correct?” he asks while holding his cup.

“Yes. Same detonation method as before, too” Saturn says. He begins to explain other things, like what kind of cage would work in effectively containing the legendary pokémon. Cyrus listens, keeping his grasp on the cup. His sight moves from the clipboard to the window, where he sees some murkrows in flight.

These birds, they must be so blissfully unaware of everything around them. And why wouldn’t they be, they don’t have to worry themselves with any sense of purpose. They can just exist. Exist in a way that doesn’t involve inflicting needless suffering in others, or on themselves. But someday, they will be saved from this pointlessly cruel existence that they are doomed to roam, along with everyone else in it. He keeps staring at the grayish blue sky. It’s strange, like some big mass of color that got stuck into the wall. The kitchen itself feels so tiny in comparison, a box. Saturn keeps talking about something, possibly important. But that doesn’t matter. Get Azelf along with Mesprit and Uxie and then make a red chain, simple as that. It doesn’t need to be explained more than that. He keeps holding the cup, feeling its smooth texture in his fingers. If only they could build the red chain sooner. He hates this thing he is in. But someday Dialga and Palkia will be under the red chain’s control, his control, finally putting an end to this artificial show of lies. And Saturn keeps talking, but his voice sounds more like static. Who is he even talking to? Certainly not him, he is talking to someone who knows what they are doing. He is talking to someone in that box with the mass of color and the static and with the cup with the smooth texture. A man, Saturn is talking to that man. That man is his boss. That man has a plan, is willing to listen, and is going to get himself and everyone out of that box. But why is he here? Just listening to conversations not directed at him? He hates that man, that man that is so similar to him but that at the same time isn’t him and this awful fake re-

CRACK

A loud sound and less than a millisecond later there are ceramic shards across the table. Saturn is startled by the sound, and shocked by the sight: Cyrus’ hands are wet with water and blood, some of the shards cutting into his palms.

“Cyrus! Are you alright?!” Saturn asks as he hurriedly holds Cyrus’ hands, attempting to remove the pieces of the broken cup. Cyrus doesn’t respond, instead silently contemplating how his palms bleed. He feels how warm his blood is against his skin, and watches how Saturn quickly but also carefully take out the shards from his hands. Suddenly he realizes that the blood is indeed real.

How unprofessional.

“I am terribly sorry, Saturn. I simply didn’t realize how firmly I was grasping the cup” Cyrus says calmly, despite still feeling a sharp sting in his hands. “Don’t touch anything. I broke it, therefore it is me who has to clean up this mess.”

Saturn is puzzled at how casually his boss treats the situation. “You can’t do anything with your hands like that!” he finally removes all the shards, and runs out of the kitchen. “Don’t move, I’ll be right back!”

Cyrus is left in the kitchen, eyeing the room. Disgusting. Accidentally cutting himself, destroying a cup and dirtying the place all at the same time. Oh, and looking pathetic in front of his subordinate. Ridiculous.

Saturn returns, holding rolls of bandages in his arms. He sits down as he holds one of Cyrus’ hands, wrapping it in bandages. “What happened?” he asks.

“I already told you, I didn’t realize how firmly I was holding the cup and then it broke under the pressure” Cyrus says. The explanation doesn’t seem to convince Saturn, but he still nods as he starts wrapping the other hand.

“I understand” Saturn says quietly. He finishes wrapping up Cyrus’ hands, and stands up to clean the table. Cyrus stares at his hands again, relieved to see the bleeding has stopped. He’s also surprised at how Saturn even bothered to help him. Employees shouldn’t be concerned with fixing their bosses’ accidents.

“Thank you” Cyrus says in clear tone. Saturn is taken back at the glimmer of gentleness in his boss’ voice, giving him a sudden jolt of happiness.

“No problem” Saturn says as he finishes cleaning the table. They should go back into discussing the plan to capture Azelf, but that isn’t important now. Cyrus needs some time to himself. He wants to ask Cyrus if he is alright, but that would be inappropriate. Saturn is about to exit the kitchen, until he remembers something.

“Uh, I just realized that we forgot to have breakfast. Would you like some rawst berries, sir?”

Cyrus quietly accepts the offer.

***

Saturn and Cyrus sit together, eating rawst berries from a plastic bowl. The sky is the same shade of grayish blue it usually is, soothing. Cyrus remembers that the sky is real.

Sometimes he forgets why he is here, other times he doesn’t know why. Sometimes he can’t even recognize himself, thinking that he is just a consciousness, or something else. Sometimes his thoughts just pile up on themselves and he feels it is all too violent and unfair, and he wonders why he even bothers existing in an ugly illusion full of these things. Today was one of those times.

But in the end, he remembers who he is, and that he is part of this reality. And that maybe the best thing to do is just exist.

One day, he will create the perfect reality. But for now he’s glad to enjoy the moment he’s in, tired but at ease. Even if he will inevitably regret it later.

“Thank you for everything, Saturn” Cyrus says, thanking his commander.

“No problem, sir.”


End file.
